Parshat Shoftim, Devarim 20:10 states: "When you near a city to do battle against it, you are to offer it peace".

According to Ramban, the call for peace refers both to "milchemet reshut", a permissible war, as well as to "milchemet mitzvah", an obligatory war. This requires us to offer peace terms even to the seven nations of C'naan.

The Rabbis teach the following Midrash in Devarim Raba 5:13, Tanchuma Shoftim 18 and Yerushalmi Sheviit 6:1: "Rabbi Shmuel b'Rabbi Nachmani said: Yehoshua bin Nun fulfilled the laws of this section. What did Yehoshua do? Wherever he went to conquer, he would send the following proclamation: .He who wishes to make peace let him come forward and make peace; he who wishes to leave, let him leave and he who wishes to make war, let him make war.' The Girgashim (one of the seven nations) left the Land of Israel. The Givonim made peace. Thirty-one kings who did not want to make peace came to wage war were destroyed. If the kings had wanted to make peace, B'nai Yisrael would certainly have made peace with them."

The same holds true today. Israel is always looking to make peace both with those living within our borders as well as with those living outside of our borders. However, unfortunately many of our enemies prefer to try to destroy us rather than take us up on our offer of peace.

Let's pray that the prayer derived from Brachot 64a is fulfilled: "Yehi Shalom Becheilech Shalva B'Armenotayich.", "May there be peace within your walls, serenity within your palaces. For the sake of my brothers and friends I shall speak of peace for you.God will give his nation mite, God will bless his nation with peace.